BLACK DIAMONDS

MAURUS

JOKAI

THE CONTINENTAL ^CLASSICS

VOLUME

^IX

BLACK DIAMONDS

A

NOVEL BY

MAURUS JOKAI

TRANSLATED BY

FRANCES

^A.

GERARD

BROTHERS PUBLISHERS

NEW YORK AND LONDON

608330

13.

Copyright,1896,byHARPER &BROTHERS.

DINTEDINTHE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA M-R

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I.

A

BLACK PLACE ⁱ

II.

THE

SLAVE OF THE BLACK DIAMONDS

.... n

III.

THE

MAN-EATER 27

IV.

A MODERN

ALCHEMIST-. ..;"..'.) 35

V.

THE

DOCTOR ₅₀

VI. COUNTESS THEUDELINDE 63

VII.

THE

COUNTESS'S ALBUM ₇₉

VIII.

THE

EXORCIST ₉₅

IX.

"AN

OBSTINATE

FELLOW"

132

X.

THE

HIGHER MATHEMATICS ₁₄₆

XI. SOIREESAMALGAMANTES 155

XII. RITTER

MAGNET

166

XIII.

ONLY

A TRIFLE ₁₈₉

XIV. THIRTY-THREE PARTS 207

XV.

Two

POINTS ₂₂₅

XVI. GOOD-BYE 232

XVII.

THE

LAST REHEARSAL 245

XVIII. FINANCIAL

WISDOM

253

XIX. FILTHY LUCRE ₂₅₉

XX. No, EVELINE^! 278

XXI. RESPECT FOR HALINA CLOTH ₂₉₁

XXII.

Two

SUPPLIANTS 301

iv

CONtENTS

CHAPTER PAGH

XXIII. FINANCIAL INTRIGUE 312

XXIV.

THE

BONDAVARA RAILWAY ₃₁₇

XXV. THE

^POOR

DEAR

PRINCE ₃₂₄

XXVI. DIES IR^E 327

XXVII.

FROM

THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS . . 348

XXVIII.

Two

CHILDREN 352

XXIX.

IMMACULATE 357

XXX. MAN

AND WIFE 365

XXXI. EVA

DIRKMAL 373

XXXII. CRUSHED 378

XXXIII. CHARCOAL 387

XXXIV.

CSANTA'S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

...

395

XXXV. THE GROUND

BURNS UNDER His FEET. ^. . 401

XXXVI.

CHILD'S PLAY ₄₀₆

XXXVII.

EUREKA 411

XXXVIII.

AT

PAR ₄₁₉

XXXIX. THE

UNDERGROUND

WORLD

₄₂₈ XL. ANGELA is EVEN WITH IVAN ₄₄₂

XLI.

How

^IVAN

MOURNED

₄₅₀

XLII. EVILA 453

XLIII.

THE

DIAMOND REMAINED ALWAYSADIAMOND ₄₅₉

BLACK DIAMONDS

BLACK DIAMONDS

CHAPTER

^I

A

BLACK PLACE

WE

are inthe depths ^of an underground ^{cavern. It}

is

bad enough

^to be underground, but ^here

we

are all

enveloped ^{in black as well: the} ceiling ^is black, so are the walls_; they are

made

of blocks of coal.

The

floor is one great black looking-glass. ^{It is} a sort ofpond, polished as ^steel.

Over

this polished surface glistens the reflection of a _{solitary light,} the _light of a _safety-

lamp

shiningthrough ^{a wire net.}

A man

_guides himself over the

pond

^{in a narrow}

boat.

By

^{the doubtful} light of the

lamp

^{he sees} high pillars, which rise out of the depths below

and

reach to the very roof ^of the cavern _{pillars slender,} like the

columns

of a Moorish _palace.

These

_pillars are half white and half black;

up

^{to a certain} point only are they coal black,

beyond

^that they are lightⁱⁿ color.

What

are these _pillars?

They

^{are the stems of} pines

and

palm-trees.

These

gigantic stems are quite ^at

home

ⁱⁿ the _layers overthe coal-mine, but

how

have _they descended here?

They

belong ^{to another} world the world of light

and

air.

2

BLACK DIAMONDS

The

coal _layers overhead sometimes take fire of them- selves, and the_fire,being ^intense,hasloosened ths hold of these giants

and

sent

them

below,

Coal-pits kindle of themselves often, as every novice knows, but ^{in this case}

who

extinguished the flames^?

That

is the _question.

The

_{solitary occupant} of the rudely shaped ^{boat or} canoe _{goes restlessly}here

and

there,

up

^{and down.}

He

is a

man

of about thirty years, with a pale ^face and a dark beard. His_firmlyclosed_lips give

him

an _expres- sion of earnestness, or strong, decided will_; while his forehead,whichis broad, withlarge

bumps

^{over the}eyes,

shows

thatheisadeep^thinker. His headisuncovered, for here in this vault the air is heavy,

and

^his _curly blackhair isin thick masses, so ^thatheneeds nocover- ing.

What

^is_{he doing} ^here?

He

driveshis boat over the black looking-glass ^ofthe lake_; round and round he _goes, searching the black walls with anxiety, his

lamp

^{raised in his} disengaged hand.

Does

_{he imagine} that a secret is hidden there?

Does

he think that

by

touching a _spring,

and

_saying

"

Open

Sesame," the treasure hiddenthereforhundreds ofyears ^will spring^forth?

In _truth, he does find treasures.

Here and

there from theblackwall weaklyconstructed in

some

_places

by

^Nature's

hand

_{a piece}^of stone loosensitself

upon

it the impression ^of a leaf belonging ^{to a} long-ago-ex- tinct species.

A

wonderful treasure this! In other places he

comes upon unknown

_crystals, to which science has not as yet given a

name

; or

upon

^a

new

conglomeration of different quartz, metal, and stone a silent testimony ^to a convulsion of Nature before this

world was. Allthesewitnesses speak.

3

The

_pillars, too; over

them

the water of the

pond

has

by

degreesformedacrustation ofcrystals, small,but visibleeven without a_glass. This,too,gives testimony.

The _pond

is in itself wonderful. It has ebb and flow: twice in the day ^it empties ^{itself; twice in the}

day ^{it fills.}

The

water ^rushes in leaps

and

_bounds,

joyously, tumultuously, ^{into this} dark, ^sullenvault_; fills it higher, higher, until ^it reaches the point on the _pil- lars where the color changes.

There

it remains,some- times for two _hours, stationary, smooth, andplacid ^as a glass.

Then

it begins ^to sink, slowly, surely, until ^it vanishes

away

^{into the secret} hiding-placesfrom

whence

it has come. Curious, mysterious ^visitor!

The man

inthe boat

knows

its ways; he has studied them.

He

waits _{patiently, until,} with a _sullen, gurgling sound, as

if lamenting ^the necessity, the last current of water vanishes behind a projecting

mass

of coal.

Then

he hurriedly ^{casts off his coat, his} shoes, ^his stockings;

he has nothing on ^{but his shirt} and trousers.

He

fas- tens round

him

a leather pocket, ⁱⁿ which is a

hammer and

chisel_; he takes his safety-lamp

and

fastens it to his belt_; and, so equipped, he _glides into one of the fissures in the black rock.

He

is following the vanish- ing stream.

He

is a courageous

man

to undertake such a task, for his

way

^lies through the palace of death. ^It needs a heart of stone to be there alone in the awful silence. It is a strong motive that brings him.

He

is

seeking the secret which lies under seven seals, the treasurewhich Nature has concealed for thousands ^of years. But this

man knows

not what fear is.

He

^re-

mains three hours _seeking. If he had any one ^awife, a _sister, even a faithful servant,

who knew

where he was,what danger he was ^in,

how

their souls would have gone^{out in} agonyof fear for what mi&ht

happen

^!

4

BLACK DIAMONDS

But he has no one_; heisalone always ^alone.

There

is

no

one to

weep

^{for his absence or to be} joyful at his

coming

^{; hislife is} solitary,intheclearairofdaylight as well asin the depths^ofthe cavern.

The

vanished stream ^is as capricious ^as a coquettish maiden, ^{as full of tricks}

and

humors.

Sometimes

it

does not

show

itself for three or four hours; at other

moments

it

comes

_frolickingback in one,and

woe

tothe unfortunate wight

who

^is _caught in its embrace in the narrow windings ^{ofthe coal-vault!} Butthis

man knows

the

humors

of the stream; he has studied them.

He

and it are old acquaintances; he

knows

_{the signs}

upon

which he can depend, and he

knows how

_{long the pause}

will last.

He

_{can gauge}^itsduration

_by

^theunderground wind.

When

it whistles through^{the clefts}

and

fissures, then he

knows

the stream ^{is at} hand. Should he wait until the shrillpiping ceases,then he isa dead man.

In the darkness _{a ghostly} soundis heard it is likea long-drawn sigh, the far-away sobbing ^{of an}

yolian

harp^;

and

immediately^the

shimmer

ofthe

lamp

^{is seen}

coming

^nearer

and

_nearer,and ina minute the mysteri- ous searcher ofthe hidden secret appears.

His countenance is paler than before deathly;

and

drops ^of sweat course

down

his forehead

and

cheeks.

Down

below the air must be heavier in the cavern, or the nightmare ^of the abyss has caused this cold

damp.

He

throws his well-filled wallet into the _boat, and seats himselfin it

again.

It

was

time. Scarcelyhas he taken his place

when

a gurgling ^is heard,

and

out of the fissures of the rock

comes

a gush ^ofblack water,shooting^forth with a_loud, bubbling^noise.

Then

follows afewminutes' pause,

and

again anothergush^ofwater.

The

cavernisfillingrapid- ly. In a shorttime,over the

smooth

surfaceofthe_wall,

5 thewatermark

shows

itself. Clear as alooking-glass ^it rises, noiselessly, surely, until ^it has reached the black line

upon

^the pillars.

The

_boat, with its silent, watchful occupant, ^floats

upon

^{the water likethe}ghost ^ofthe cavern.

The

water

is notlike ordinarywater_; itis heavy ^{like metal.}

The

boat

moves

_{slowly, only}

now

the rower does not careto lookinto the depths ^ofthe blacklooking-glass^; he pays

no

attention to the mysterious signs on the walls.

He

is occupied taking stock ^of the air about him,which is

growing denser every

moment, and

^{he looks} carefully at his safety-lamp,but itis closely shut.

No

_escape there.

There

is a great fog ^all round _{the lamp.}

The

air in this underground abyss ^{takes a} blue shade.

The man

in the boat

knows

well

what

this means.

The

flame of the safety-lamp ^flares high,

and

thewick turns red

bad

signs these^!

The

_angel of death ishovering ^near.

Two

_spiritsdwell in these subterranean _regions two fearfully wicked _spirits.

The

_pitmen call one

Stormy

Weather, ^{the other}

Bad Weather

;

and

these two evil spirits haunt every coal-mine, under different names.

Bad Weather

steals

upon

^its victim, ^lies like a thick vapor

upon

^{his chest, follows the miner} step

by

step, takes

away

^{.his breath and his} speech, laughs ^{at his} alarm,

and

vanishes,

when

it has reached its height, just as suddenly ^{as it} came.

Stormy Weather

^{is far}

more

cruel fearful. It

comes

likeawhirlwind; itsets every- thing ⁱⁿ a _flame, kindles the lumps of coal, shatters the vaults,destroys the shaft, burns the ground,

and

dashes

human

_beings to pieces.

Those who

_gain their liveli-

hood

by working underground can never ^tell

when

_they

may

^{meet one orother ofthese} evil spirits.

The

secret of "

stormy weather,"

whence

it comes,

when

^it

may

come, no

man

has _yet discovered. ^It is

BLACK DIAMONDS

believed thatit arisesfromthe contact of the hydrogen gases with ^the acid gases which are contained in the open air; and^"bad weather" needs_{only a spark}to turn into

"stormy

weather."

The

thoughtless opening ^{of a} safety-lamp, thestriking ofa match, ^{is sufficientto}fuse the twoevil spirits into one.

The

_solitary

man whom we

have been shadowingsees, with an_anxietythat increases every

moment, how

theair

becomes more and more

the color ofan _opal. Already

it is enveloping

him

ina thin cloud.

He

does not wait for the flood to.rise to its highest point, for,

when

he reaches a place ⁱⁿ thewallwhere asort of landing-stage has been made, he

jumps upon

^{it,draws the boat}by ^its chain,and

moors

itfast,

and

_{then, ascending}

by some

rude _steps toa strong ^iron door,he opens ^{it with a} key, and, closing ^it behind him, finds himself in a passage which leads

him

straight into the_pit.

Here

he is in a busy world, very ^different from the solitude he hasleft.

The

streets,which arenarrow

and

close,arefullof minershardatworkwiththeirhammers.

The men

are nearly naked, the boys

who

_push the wag- ons_{are wholly}so. There is

no

sound heard butthat of the never-ceasing hammers. In the

mine

there are no

jollysongs,

no

_{heartylaughter.}

Over

the

mouth

ofeach minera thickcloth is tied,through which he ^breathes.

Some

of the passages ^are so narrow that the worker

is obliged ^{to lie}

upon

^{his back, and in this} position to reach the coal with _{his pick.}

When

he has loosened it

he drops ^{itinto the little}wagon, which ^the naked _boys, crawling

upon

^their stomachs, push ^before

them

to the opening.

The man who

has

come

out ofthe dark cavern does notdiffer indressfrom any^oftheothers.

He

isclothed, certainly, but his clothes are covered with coal-dust, his

7

hands are _just as _coarse,

and

he carries a pick

and

a

hammer

on his shoulder. Nevertheless, they ^all

know him

; there is a roughcivilityin thetone ofeach

man

as he answers the other's greeting, "Good-evening.

Bad Weather

is coming.''

The word

isrepeated ^all round.

It was true.

Bad Weather was

close at hand, and these

men and

_boys,

who

_quietly

come

and_go,

hammer,

shove thewagons,^lie on their backs,^all know,^{as well as} the convict

who

is awaiting the execution of ^{his sen-} tence, that death is near.

The

_heavy,

damp

fog which lies

upon

^{each man's}

chest, and which fills the

mine

with its

unwholesome

smell, needs only a spark,

and

those

who now

live

and move

are dead men,^buriedunderground,^whileoverhead a hundred

widows and

_orphans

weep and

^{clamor for}

their lost ones.

And

_yet,

_knowing

this, the miners continue calmly^to work, ^{as if} quite unconscious that the dread Angel ^of

Death

is hoveringabout them.

The man who

has _just entered is Ivan Behrend,^the

owner

of the mine.

He

unites in himself the office of overseer, director, surveyor,

and

bookkeeper.

He

has

enough

^to

do

_; but

we

all

know

the proverb, and, ^if

we

have lived long enough, have ^{tested its} truth, "

If you

want

_{a thing}welldone,

do

^it yourself." Moreover,^{it is} an encouragement ^{to the}worker ifhe seeshis employer

go

^{shoulder to} shoulder with

him

in the work. There-

fore, as

we

have _{just seen,} the master _greets all his

workmen

with the words,^"

Bad Weather

is coming,"

and

they ^all

know

thatthe master does not considerhis life of

more

value than theirs_; he does _not

fly and leave

them

all the danger, because he is the

owner and

_gets

allthe _protit. Ouietly,withthe most _perfect composure,

8

BLACK DIAMONDS

he_giveshisorders theventilators are to be opened ^a charge ^{of cool air at} onceto the heated _coal;

and

the workers are to go ^off

work

after three instead of six hours.

He

_{gets into} ^the pail,coveredwith buffalo-skin, and lets himself

down

to thebottomofthe _shaft, to see

if the

new

_openings are dangerous.

He

turnsovercare- fully with anironbar thecoal-dust, to try ^if any ^{of itis} heated, or ^if gas ^is there concealed which might cause an _explosion. Then, ^{as the} ventilators below and the air-pump above ^{begin towork,} he takes his place ^atthe anometer. This is a tender little machine, something like the

humming-top

^{of children. Its axle turns}

upon

a_ruby,

and

the spring' sets awheel with ahundred teeth in motion; the velocity of^this wheel showsthe strength of the current of air in the shaft. It should neither be _stronger nor weaker than the motion of the

"bad

weather."

He

has

now

seen to everything; he has taken _every precaution, he has left nothing ^to chance, and,

when

all

the minershave quitted the pit, he is the lastto ascend

in the basket tothe freshair

and

the_daylight.

Fresh air daylight^!

In

Bondavara

the sun never _shines,the

shadow

ofthe

smoke

_hangs like a thick cloud over the land; it is a black country, painted ^{in chalk.}

The

roads are black with coal-tracks; the houses are black from the coal- dust, which the wind carries here

and

there from the large coal warehouses; the

men and

the

women

are black. It isa

wonder

the birds over there inthe

woods

are not black also.

The mouth

of the Bondavara_pit is oti the slope ^of a

hill, which,

when

_{you ascend} it, gives you ^{a fine} view over the whole _country.

On

the other _{side, in} the val- ley,are the tall chimneys^ofthe distilling-ovens,

These

$ chimneys ^are busy night

and

_day,vomitingforth smoke, sometimes _white, but generally coal-black; for here is distilled the sulphur which forms a

component

^{of the}

coal.

The

metal can _onlybe melted

when

in this condition.

One

of the _principal customers of the coal-mine is the iron-foundry on the neighboring mountain, which has

five chimneys from which the

smoke

issues. If the

hammer

throws

up

^white smoke, ^{then the} oven distils blacksmoke, and so contrariwise. Both factories work- ing together ^cast over the valley a continuous veil of cloud

and

smoke, through which even ^the

beams

ofthe sun look

brown and

_dingy.

From

the foundry ^{flows a} rusty-redstream,and out of the coal-mine another,which is as black as ink. In the valleyboththese streamsunite

and

continuetheircourse together. For a little the rusty-red^{tries to} get the ^bet- ter ofthe inky-black, but ^ithas to giveup,

and

theblack rivulet flows

on

triumphantlythrough ^theblack

meadow

lands.

Itis a

most

depressing landscape,

and

it is saddening toreflectthatin such_{a place}

men

have

grown

^fromchild-

hood

tomiddle _age,from middle_agetoold_age,

and

have never seen the green ^{fields or the blue} sky ^of God's heaven.

But Ivan Behrend,

when

he ascended from the_pitinto the open air,foundlittle contrastbetween theupper

and

the under _ground. Below, there

was

the _stifling smell of gas^; above, a suffocating fog^: below, the black vault of the

mine

_{; above, the}

murky

^{vault of the heavens:}

and

the

same men

above

and

below.

It was then evening^{; the} sun

had gone

down,

and

for the

moment

even the vile

smoke

could not rob itof its setting glory.

The

towers ofthedistant castle of Bon-

10 feLACK

DIAMONDS

davara were touched with its gleam, and the chimneys of the _distilling-houses were aglow ^{with this} crimson

light.

The

miners were _standingabout_idly; the

women and

the _girls,

who

are employed ⁱⁿ shoving ^{the wheel-} barrows, ^sat gossiping together, as^is the

manner

ofthe sex.

One

ofthem, a

young

^girl,began ^to sing a sim- ple ^little song, with simple words. ^It wasa Slavvolks- lied a sortof romance.

A

mother is taking leave ^of her daughter, a bride ^of a few hours_; sherecalls to the girl her childish days and her mother's care in these words:

"

Wcnn

ich das Haar dir strich, Zerr' ich

am

Haare dich?

Wenn

ich dich wusch, mein Kind,

War

ich _je ungelind^?"

The _{melody was}

touching, with the sad strain that all

the Slav music_{has, as} if

composed

^{with tears};

and

the voice of the one

who

_sang

was

musical and full of feel- ing. Ivan stopped ^{to listento the} song^{until the}singer

and

her companions disappeared behind the houses.

At

this

moment

^it

seemed

to

him

that there was a great^differencebetweenlife underground

and

life in the open.

The

_song still sounded in the distance; the clouds

had

_passed over and extinguished the _{light of} the set- ting sun, enveloping the landscape ^{in total darkness.}

No

star,no white house; only the light from the win-

dows

of the foundry lighted

up

^{the darkness of} night^; and the

smoke

of the distilling-factory rose from the chimneys

and

castyellow^circles

upon

^thesky.

CHAPTER

THE

SLAVE OF

THE BLACK DIAMONDS

THERE

is nothing startling or

new

in the declaration that

when we

_speakof "

black

diamonds

^"

we mean

coal.

That

beautiful, ^brilliant stone, thediamond, ^is

made

of carbon.

So

is your ^{house-coal the} only ^difference being, the one is transparent, the other black;

and

the

first is the

demon,

^{thelast the} angel.

Coal

moves

the world.

The

_spiritofprogress

comes

from it_; railroads, steamboats borrow from it their wonderful _strength. Every

machine

thatis,

and

works, has its existence from coal. It

makes

the earth habi- table; itgives ^to the great^{cities their} mighty^blaze and splendor. ^{It is} a _treasure, the last gift presented by earth to extravagant man.

Therefore it is that

we

callcoal ^"black diamonds."

Ivan Behrend, ^the

owner

ofthe

Bondavara

_coal-mine,

was

not exactly ⁱⁿ the condition of

some

of his pitmen, rie had seen God's _heaven,

and knew how

in happier lands life was bright, careless,

sunny

^{as the cloudless} sky ^itself. But foran existence whichwas all play and no _{work, Ivan}

would

not havecared.

He

^hadinherited the coal-mine from his father,

who had

^left

him

alsoan inheritanceofa strong^will

and

inflexible perseverance.

No

_trifle, nor even _{a great obstacle,} could stand in the

way

^of Ivan's wishes, and his wish and hispride wasto work the

Bondavara mine

without any help but what

12 feLACK

DIAMONDS

his pitmen gave ^{him. It} was his ambition perhaps^a foolish one to have no

company

^{at hisback, no share-} holders to find _fault,

no

widows

and

_orphans to be in- volved in possible ^ruin; the

mine was

his,

and

his it

should be absolutely. Therefore it

was

_{a quiet} busi- ness.

The

foundry and ^the inhabitantsof the nearest town

consumed

the yearly output ^at an

uncommonly

low _price. It never could be, unless with

enormous

outlay, a great

money-making

^business, seeing ^that the mine wastoo far

away

from any^{of the} great ^centres.

Nevertheless, ^it brought ⁱⁿ a steady income, especially as Ivan paid

no

useless expenses,and _{was, as}

we

have

said,his

own

overseer

and

accountant.

He knew

_every- thing^thatwent_on, heunderstood his

own

business _per- fectly,

and

he took _{a pleasure} in looking ^{after his}

own

affairs;

and

these three qualifications,as any ^business

man

_knows, insure ultimate success.

It was _well, however, ^that he enjoyed such

good

health,

and

that this superabundance ^{of vital} energy kept

him

_{always occupied, and,}

by

^{a natural conse-} quence,never dull.

There

was no denying ^{that it}

was

a_solitary life forso

young

^a

man.

Ivan was _verylittle over _thirty,

and when

_{he opened} thedoorof hissmall housewith _{his key,}

and

closed the door behind him, he

was

alone.

He

hadn'teven a

dog

to

come and

_{greet him.}

He

waited

upon

himself;

and

inthis he

was

_{a great}

man.

Eating he looked

upon

^as an unnecessary waste ^{of time;} nevertheless, he ate a great deal, for his muscular

and

mental system needed food.

He was

not delicate in his appetite.

He

dined everyday ^atthetavern. His food

was

_verylittle better thanthat of his pitmen, the only ^difference being ^that he avoided the strong drinks they indulged ^{in forthis} reason, that they

worked

_{only with}theirbodies_; hehad

13

to bring ^{to his}

work

a clear intellect, not a soddened one. His bed needed no making. ^It was a

wooden

plank,

upon

^{which a mattress}

was

_placed,covered witha sheep-skin.

There

was no use in brushing ^{his clothes;} they were always permeated ^{with coal-dust.}

Any

^one

who

would _offer,

by way

^of doing

him

a service, to clearout his room, would, in fact, have

done

hima deadly injury. ^It

was

^{full of} _every sort of thing

new

books half _cut, minerals, ^scientific instruments, plans, pictures, ^retorts.

Not

one of these should be

moved

from its place.

There was

orderin the_disorder,

and

in the heterogeneous

mass

Ivan couldfind

what

he wanted. In one corner

was

Lavoisier's pyrometer^{; in} another Berard's gas food-warmer.

Over

there a won- derful sun-telescope^; against the^wall Bunsen's_galvanic battery,together with every conceivable invention,every sort ofchemical _apparatus for analyzingand _searching into the mysteries ^ofNature.

Amongst

^these things Ivan was

wont

^to _spend the long nights. Another man, ^{tired as} he must have been with his day's work, would have flung himself

upon

^his bed,

and

have sought ⁱⁿ sleep

some

compensation ^for the labors of the day, or^if not weary

enough

^for this,

would have sat before his door and breathed the fresh air, which atnight

was

^free from

smoke and

coal-dust.

But this student of the unseen withdrew into hisinner chamber, ^lit his _fire,

made

his

lamp

blaze, and busied himselfbreaking lumps of coal, cooking seeds, develop- ingdeadlygases, abreath of which was

enough

^{to send} a

man

into eternity.

What was

it he searched for?

Was

he seeking the secret of the philosopher's stone?

Did

he

abandon

sleep ^{to find} out

how diamonds

can be

made

outof coal? Did he strive to extract deadly poisons, ^or

was

14 BLACK

DIAMONDS

he simply pursuing the ignisfatuus ^of knowledge try- ing experiments,grubbing^inthe dark _{until, inthe hope-}

less endeavor, the over-strained brain would _{give way,} andthere would be _{only the} wreck of

what was

oncea noble intellect?

Nothing^{of the sort.} This

man had

a purpose; he wanted to learn a secret which

would

be of infinite benefit to

mankind

at _least, to those

who

are buried in the _pits and caverns of the earth.

He

wanted to find out by what

means

it would be _possible to extin- guish ^{fire in} burning ^pits.

To

discover this he con-

sumed

^his _nights

and

_{the years} ^of his youth and ^his

manhood.

It

was

no thought born ^of to-day oryester- day^{; it}

had

beenhisonedesire for

many

years.

He had

seen so

much

_misery, such heartrending scenesenacted before these _pit

mouths

these monsters which swallow up

human

^{life like} the Juggernauts ^{of old.}

He

wanted to prevent ^this

amount

of _sacrifipe a sacrifice never thought^of

by

^those

who

_profit from the labor of these victims,

whose

_veryblood isspilled tokeep^otherswarm.

Itispossible ^this one idea might ^drive

him

_mad, orhe might ^{lose his life; but the} knowledge, ^if he _{did gain}

it, would_{be, in his opinion,} worth the loss. After _all, what is the loss of one life against the saving^ofmill- ions? This

man had

a fine nature_; there

was

no _tinge ofselfin Ivan Behrend. _Also, he had a certainenjoy-

ment

in his search.

Enjoyment

^{is not the word.}

Whenever

he _got even _{a glimpse} of what he _wanted, his joy

was

_{something unearthly. Surely} these

moments

were worth all the pleasures theworldcouldoffer

him

_;

and

if

we

can _{bring our} minds to understand this, then

we

shall

comprehend how

a

young man

_preferredto be shut

up

^{in a cavern, in} danger ^of losing his ^life, or in a _stifling room, trying risky experiments, rather than

15 spend ^the night with beautiful maidens or pleasant fellows, drinking, dancing, and love-making.

There

is

a

charm

in Science to those

who know

her that far sur- passes carnal joys.

To-night, however, ^it

must

be _confessed, Ivan's ex- periments^{fell a} little flat. Eitherhe

was

_tired, or

some

other cause

was

at work.

Could

it be possible that a girl's song Yes, such

was

the humiliating condition of affairs.

At

the

moment when

he least expected it,

this thing

had

unexpectedly ^seized

upon

^him.

With

an effort Ivan lit his

lamp

^and lighted ^{his fur-} nace. His experiments, however, were^afailure.

That

girl's song kept running ^{in his head,}

and

the words

how

_{did they go}?

"

Say when I smoothed _thy hair,

Showed I not tender care?

Say when I dressed

my

^child,

Was

I not fond and mild?"*

It

was

_verypretty,

and

the voice wonderful sosweet

and

clear

and

melodious.

To-morrow

_evening she might be ^{at the} pit's

mouth

_again,

and

then he

would

find out her name.

Even

^if she were not there, the other_girlswould

know

; therewere not so

many

singers

among

^them.

"

Saywhen I smoothed thy hair"

Oh, he could ^settle

down

to nothing^{with thistiresome} song^!

''

Showed ^I not tender care?"

He

wished he

had

seen her face, merely ^to

know

^if it

matched

the voice.

Very

likely not.

She

would be

*These lines have been kindly translated from the _original by Mitt Troutbeck.

l6

BLACK DIAMONDS

hard-featured, ^like the other _{girls bold,}

unwomanly

creatures_; beauty and modesty were ^rare gifts in Bon- davara.

The

next day ^Ivan

was

_earlyatthe_pit.

The

_opening

ofthe air-oven

had

done its work; therewas_{only a} frac- tional quantity^of hydrogen mixed^{with the}pit^air.

The

ventilators could be _shut,

and

Ivan

was

able to spend

some

time in the open.

At

twelve o'clock the bell rang^{to leaveoffwork.}

As

the _girls

came

from the wheelbarrows, he _again heard the clear

young

voice singing the

same

_song.

He

had notbeen

wrong

^{as to the voice;it}

was

freshand _lovely,

like the blackbird in the woods, uneducated

and

un- spoiled, butfull of natural charm, ^tender

and

_{joyous as}

thefeathered _songster.

He

^could

now

see the singer a very

young

girl, not

more

than sixteen.

The common

blue bodice she wore

showed

every undulation ^of her girlish figure, untrammelled by any fashionable _stays.

Her

short red_skirt, tucked up on oneside,andfastened to her _waist, disclosed her still shorter chemise, which only reached to her knees, so ^that her _legswere uncov- ered.

They

might have been modelled ^{for a statue of} Hebe, ^so perfectwere _theyin shape ^{the ankles} small, and littlefeet beautifully rounded,^likeachild's.

About

herhead the_girl

had wound

acolored _cloth,and under

this she

had

tucked

away

^{her hair; her face, like those}

of hercompanions, was blackened by ^{the coal-dust,} but eventhis

enemy

^to beauty^{could not}disfigure her.

You

could seethat her features were _regular, her eyebrows thick and _dark, her _lips red.

There

was a mixture of earthly ^dirt and supernatural beauty about ^{this child;} besides, she had one _thingthateven coal-dust could not conceal or dim, her eyes her_largeblack eyes shining liketwo diamonds, which^lit

up

^{the darknessastwostars,}

IJ

As

thesewonderful _eyes

met

Ivan's glance, ^it

seemed

to thatphilosopher^{as if}these

diamonds

cut

away

a por- tion of the glass phial ⁱⁿ which he

had

_preserved ^his

heart,

and

^so_kept ^ituntouched

up

^{to this. But he did} not

know

that this was _{only the} beginning^{; his} glass protector ^will soon lie in fragments ^allround him.

The

_girl

made

alittle curtsey^toher employer,

and

ac-

companied

^{this small act of} duty ^{with a smile} which

showed

two rows of beautiful, pearly-white^teeth.

Ivanfelt like an enchanted_knight in a_fairytale.

He

forgot

what had

_brought

him

_here,

and

what he wanted to say^; he remained rooted tothe _spot,gazing blankly afterthe retreating figure ofthe_girl

and

hercompanions.

He

_hoped, without exactly defining

what

^his

hope

was, thatshewouldlook back.

That

littleaction

would

have broken the

charm

under which he _lay. Butshe did not look back, althoughoneofher

companions

^calledherby her name, ^"Evila." Ivan couldsee

them

_talkingto her, whispering, no _doubt, about him. Thisdidnot

seem

to rouse anycuriosity ⁱⁿher.

She

and _theyhad

now come

to an open ^shed.

Here

they seated themselves

upon

the ground, took out of their pockets pieces ^of black bread

and

wild_apples,

and

ate theirmealwith as

much

zest as if it

had

been chicken and_grapes.

Ivanreturned to his house. For the first time in his life itstruck

him how

_lonely it was. It was his custom to keep ^{a sort of} log-book, ⁱⁿ which he entered _{his per-} sonal notes

upon

^{all his} work-people.

He

found this practice very necessary^; he

knew

that a skilled work-

man

of

good

^{conduct is far}

more

useful at high

wages

than a _lazy, good-for-nothing fellow^of doubtful charac- ter

who

would

come

forhalf the wage. At the footnote by ^the

name

^"Kvila"

he read

"

A young

orphan;supports a crippled brotheryounger

18

BLACK DIAMONDS

than _herself,

who

_goes

_upon

_crutches, and

whose

_tongue

isparalyzed. She isverysteady,and doesnotgo ^{to the} town."

Itwas certain, therefore, that he

must

have seenthis child before,but

had

_given

no

attention to her. Every Saturday hepaid every

workman,

everygirl and lad in the _pit; how,then, had he escaped noticing thosewon- derfuleyes^?

He

didnot know, ^{learned as} he_was, that there is an _affinitybetween two souls destined for one another. Itis like an electric shock, ^this sudden birth of love; but Ivanridiculed such an idea.

Love

?

Non-

sense!

He

in lovewith a_girl out of the _pit? Ridicu- lous! Itwas compassion, merelypity for apretty child, left without either father or mother to watch over her tender _age, and, ^stillworse, with a deformed brotherto careforand provide with foodandmedicines.

No

doubt she gave

him

the best of everything, while shehad tobe content with black bread and wild _apples,

and

all the timeremained an honest, steadygirl.

She

never even turned herheadto look after him.

There was

_nothing but _pityin his heart for this coal-black

Naiad

; it was onlypity

made him

wish tocover those tenderlittle feet with proper shoes; it

was

only a proper regard ^for the weakest

among

^his work-people which would cause

him

to

make

_inquiries as to thispoorforlorn child. Oh,^self- deception,what_{a part}you play ⁱⁿmen'shearts!

The

_{following Saturday} theworkers

came

to receive theirweekly wages. Ivan,

who

_{always paid}

them

him-

self, remained athis desk until the last one came.

On

thisoccasion Evila

was

thelast. Ivan sat at a_table, on which was _{placed the}

sum

to be _paid,which

was

_regu-

lated by ^the accountofthe

work

_done, which was_regis- tered inthe day-book.

When

the _girl,

who was

dressed as

when we

first

saw

19 her, ⁱⁿ her blue bodice

and

red_skirt, presented ^herself, Ivan said toher kindly

"

My

^{child, I}have determinedtoincreaseyour wages^; from thisdayyou ^shallhave double _pay."

The

_girl

_opened

her large eyes,

and

staredin surprise.

"Why

so?" she asked.

"Because I

am

told that

you

^have a crippled brother,

whom

_{you have} ^to _keep^outofyoursmall earnings.

You

cannot have

enough

^{to clothe and feed both him}

and

yourself. ^I have also heard that you ^{are a well-con-} ducted, honest _girl,

and

therefore it gives

me

_pleasure

toreward you bygivingyou double pay."

"

I cannottake it."

-Why

^not?"

"Because I

know

what the others

would

_say.

They would

_joke and tease

me

about your being

my

^lover,

^and

I should get so tormented that I could not stay ⁱⁿ the place."

Ivan

was

so confounded by^this naive explanation, given without the _slightest confusion, that he could

make no

answer.

He

counted out the usual week's wages, which she stowed

away

^{in the}

bosom

of her bodice,wished

him good

morning,

and

went _{her way.}

He

remained, ^his thoughts ^{in a} maze. In all his ex- perience and he

had

a

good

deal, for histime

had

not been always spent ⁱⁿ Bondavara, and ^{out in the} world he had

known many women

^he

^had known no woman

like this.

She

is afraid they ^will say ^I

am

her lover; she is afraid they ^will tease her so

much

on that account that she

may

^{have to leave} the place ^!

Has

she, then, no ideathat once I,the master, loved a_girlhere,shewould not push ^the wheelbarrow any

more

?

Does

she even

know

^{what a lover is5} She kn.\vs well that she must

20

BLACK DIAMONDS

guard ^herself against ^one. Poor child!

How

earnest she was,

and

yet she laughed,andshe did not

know why

she laughed, nor _yet

why

^{she was} grave.

A

_savage in the guise ^of an _angel!

He

_{got up,} locked his desk, and turned to leave his office_; then again remained, thinking.

She is unlike every other

woman.

I doubt if she

knows how

beautiful she _is, or

what

is the worth of beauty. She is Eve, a perfect copy^of

Eve

the

Eve

^of

Scripture,and the

Eve

of Milton. She is Eve, ⁱⁿ not

knowing

^{wherefore she should blush over her}

own

nakedness the type ^of the beautiful in its primitive state, unwashed,savage, with ^hair unconfined,

who

wan- ders through the garden, fearing nothing,and even _play- ing with a serpent.

With men

she is a

woman, by

^her-

selfshe is a child,and _yet she displays a motherly ^care

for her little brother.

Her

_figure is a model for a

sculptor,her countenance is full of mind, her eyes ^be- witching, her voice melodious; and _{yet her} hands are hard with the barrow-poles, her

mind

is troubled with sordid caresforher_dailybread, her^{face is} coveredwith coal-smut,

and

she has learned her songs^{in thestreet.}

"

The

worse for her!" and, ^after a pause,Ivan

added

with a_sigh, ^"and the worse foranother besidesher."

In his

mind

a totalrevolution

had

taken _place.

The

intellectual _spirits had for the nonce deserted him, and

intheirplace others

had come

of a very ^different order those

demons

which the blessed

Antony

^{had fought} with such

good

^{effect in} the desert.

When

_{poor Ivan} tried to banish these tempters

by

burying ^{himself in his} books and his scientific instru-

ments the form of Evila

came

between

him

and the ex- periment ^he was busy on, just as Marguerite appeared to Doctor Faustin his laboratory^; her voice soundedin

his_ear, her eyesglowed ^{in the coals,}

and when

he tried to write he found himself drawing ^a

maiden

in a blue bodice andshort red skirt. It

was

the

same

with _every- thingheundertook.

Some _mocking demon seemed

bent on tormenting ^him.

Abandoning

^his experiments, ^this unfortunate

man

took to reading avolume of light literature.

What

did he open on^?

The

loves of great

and

_nobly-born

men

forlowly-born and inferior

women. Thus Lord

_Douglas

fell in love with a shepherdess,

and became

a shepherd forher sake;

Count

Pelletier took for his wife a gypsy

girl, and went about the streets turningan organ^{; Ber-} nadotte, the

King

^of Sweden, sought ^the

hand

of a

young

^girl

who watched

a flock of geese ^{for a} farmer;

Archduke John

^{married the} daughter ^{of a} postmaster^;

and

another Austrian

duke

raised an actress to the position of grand duchess; ^{the consort of Peter the} Great

was

the daughter ^{of a}villager; a Bonaparte mar- ried a

washerwoman who

had been his mistress.

And _why

not?

Are

not beauty, sweetness, fidelity,

and

trueworth to be found under a woollen as well as under a silken frock? And, on ^{the other} hand,

do we

notfind sinners

enough

^{in the} upper^circles?

Did not Zoraida kill her

own

_children,

and was

she not a born _princess? Faustina took

money

^{from her}

lovers,although ^she

was

the daughter ^of an emperor;

the Marquise Astorgas ran a hairpin through ^{her hus-} band's heart; Semiramis strewed a whole churchyard with the corpses ^of her spouses^;

King

^{Otto was} poi- soned in a grove

by

^his queen;

Joanna

^of Naples treasured the ribbon with which the _king, her husband, was _strangled; Jeanne ^Lafolle tormented her

husband

to death; the

Empress

Catharine betrayed her sovereign

and

_consort, and connived at his

murder

; and the

22

BLACK DIAMONDS

Borgias, Tudors, ^{Cillis, all}

had

wives

who became

no- torious in that they wore entwined in their crowns the girdle ofAphrodite.

And do we

notfindthemost exaltedvirtuein

what

is called low life?

The

actress Gaussin, to

whom

^her

wealthy^lover gave ^a checkwith carteblanche to write a million thereupon, onlywrotethatshe

would

_alwayslove

him

, Quintilla, another actress, ^{bit off} her tongue,^lest she should _{betray her} lover,

who was

_implicated in a conspiracy; Alice,

who

undertook_{to fight}a duel forher husband,

and was

killed;

and many

^others

who

have suffered silentlyand died forvery^love.

Philosophy

and

_historyboth conspired against Ivan.

And

^then

^came

sleep.

A dream

is a magic^{mirror in} which

we

see ourselves as

we would

be ^ifour

own

wishes

and

inclinations were all-powerful. In his

dream

the bald

man

has hair

and

the blindsees.

Towards

the end of the following

week

Ivan

made

the discovery^that he had lostthe useof hisunderstand- ing.

The more

he endeavored to force his

mind

back to its original groove of abstract _theories, the

more

the

demons

ranged themselves against him.

One

_evening,

in a fit of absence of mind, he overheated one ^{of the}

retorts, so that it burst in his face,

and

the small _glass particles cut his nose

and

cheek,and he was forced to bind

up

^his

wounds

with bits of sticking-plaster. ^It did not occurto

him

that these _{strips of} black diachy- lon placed obliquely across^his nose did not improve^his appearance.

He

was, however, veryangry ^{at his}

own

folly a _follywhich went still further, for he began ^to arguewith himselfin this

way

^:

"

Itwould be better to marry this girlthanto

become

for her sake.

Marry

^her?

Who

ever heard the